"Mikhail Baryshnikov Mikhail Nikolayevich Baryshnikov (; ; born January 27, 1948), nicknamed ""Misha"" (Russian diminutive of the name ""Mikhail""), is a Latvian-born Russian and American dancer, choreographer, and actor. He is often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev and Vladimir Vasiliev as one of the greatest male ballet dancers in history. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, Baryshnikov defected to Canada in 1974 for more opportunities in western dance. After freelancing with many companies, he joined the New York City Ballet as a principal dancer to learn George Balanchine's style of movement. He then danced with"
"Serge Lifar Serge Lifar (, ""Serhіy Mуkhailovуch Lуfar""; , ""Sergey Mikhaylovich Lifar"") (, Kiev, Russian Empire15 December 1986, Lausanne, Switzerland) was a French ballet dancer and choreographer of Ukrainian origin, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century. Not only a dancer, Lifar was also a choreographer, director, writer, theoretician about dance, and collector. As ballet master of the Paris Opera from 1930 to 1944, and from 1947 to 1958, he devoted himself to the restoration of the technical level of the Paris Opera Ballet, returning it to its place as one of the best"
"Pierre Vladimiroff Pierre Vladimiroff, or Pyotr Nikolayevich Vladimirov (; born February 13, 1893 in Gatchina, Saint Petersburg Governorate, Russian Empire – died November 25, 1970 in New York City, United States), was a Russian dancer and teacher. Vladimirov graduated from the Imperial Ballet School in 1911 and remained a member of the Imperial Ballet company until 1918. In 1915, he received the title of the first dancer. In 1920, he and his later wife Felia Doubrovska emigrated to the West, where they joined the Ballets Russes; all roles of Vaslav Nijinsky went to Pierre Vladimiroff (Nijinsky left the Diaghilev company"
"the company's tour to Paris when that dancer defected to the west during which Soloviev also received rave reviews from the French and British dance critics. In later years Nureyev would often express admiration for Soloviev's dancing, despite their rivalry. He was known as Cosmic Yuri by Western and Soviet audiences for his soaring leaps and Slavic-featured resemblance to Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. He was compared to Vaslav Nijinsky for his technique, particularly his elevation. In 1961 and 1964, he toured the US and Europe with the Kirov Ballet. His most famous roles were the"
"of the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, and then returned to France, where he died at age 77. Nicolas Zverev Nicolas Zverev (or Zvereff ; ; 1888, Moscow - 24 July 1965 Saint-Raphaël) was a Russian-French dancer and ballet master. He studied at the Moscow ballet class at the theatre school of the Moscow Imperial troupe. In 1912 he was invited by Sergei Diaghilev to his troupe Ballets russes. Zverev participated in the Ballets russes from 1912 or 1913 to 1926. Among his roles were Slave (""Scheherazade"", Michel Fokine’s ballet), Cossack Chief (La Boutique fantasque, 1919), one of the men"
"Nicholas Sergeyev Nicholas Grigoryevich Sergeyev (1876–1951) (, variously written in the Latin alphabet as Nicholas or Nikolai Sergeev, Sergueev or Sergueeff etc.) was a Russian ballet dancer, choreographer and teacher, and regisseur of the Imperial Ballet at the Maryinsky Theatre, St Petersburg. He fled Russia in 1919 and spent the rest of his life in the west, producing ballets for many of the leading western companies of the time. He is remembered for preserving what is now called the Sergeyev Collection for future generations. <br> Sergeyev was born September 15, 1876 in St Petersburg. He was accepted for training by"
"Andrei Romanov called Pierre Vladimiroff to a duel and shot him in the nose. Pierre Vladimiroff Pierre Vladimiroff, or Pyotr Nikolayevich Vladimirov (; born February 13, 1893 in Gatchina, Saint Petersburg Governorate, Russian Empire – died November 25, 1970 in New York City, United States), was a Russian dancer and teacher. Vladimirov graduated from the Imperial Ballet School in 1911 and remained a member of the Imperial Ballet company until 1918. In 1915, he received the title of the first dancer. In 1920, he and his later wife Felia Doubrovska emigrated to the West, where they joined the Ballets Russes;"
"Petersburg. He defected from the Soviet Union to the West in 1961, despite KGB efforts to stop him. This was the first defection of a Soviet artist during the Cold War and it created an international sensation. He went on to dance with The Royal Ballet in London and from 1983 to 1989 served as director of the Paris Opera Ballet. Rudolf Nureyev was born on a Trans-Siberian train near Irkutsk, Siberia, Soviet Union, while his mother, Feride, was travelling to Vladivostok, where his father Hamit, a Red Army political commissar, was stationed. He was raised as the only son"
"George Zoritch George Zoritch (6 June 1917 – 1 November 2009), was a Russian-born American ballet dancer who starred in performances by Ballet Russe companies on stages all over the United States from the 1930s to the 1960s. Internationally known, he was one of the most glamorous figures and striking personalities in mid-twentieth-century ballet. Born Yuri Zoritch in Moscow during the Russian Revolution in June 1917, he was taken by his mother, an opera singer who had been deserted by her husband, to the quieter city of Kovno (Kaunas), the provisional capital of Lithuania. Known as ""Little Paris"" because of"
"Alexander Godunov Alexander Borisovich Godunov (Russian: ; November 28, 1949 – May 18, 1995) was a Russian-American ballet dancer and film actor. He was a member of the Bolshoi Ballet and became the troupe's Premier danseur. In 1979, he defected to the United States. Soviet overseers for the troupe immediately put his wife on a flight back to the Soviet Union. Initially the United States did not allow the flight to leave, resulting in a diplomatic incident between the two nations. Godunov was born in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Sakhalin, Russian SFSR, USSR), in the Russian Far East. Godunov began his ballet studies"
"Nicolas Zverev Nicolas Zverev (or Zvereff ; ; 1888, Moscow - 24 July 1965 Saint-Raphaël) was a Russian-French dancer and ballet master. He studied at the Moscow ballet class at the theatre school of the Moscow Imperial troupe. In 1912 he was invited by Sergei Diaghilev to his troupe Ballets russes. Zverev participated in the Ballets russes from 1912 or 1913 to 1926. Among his roles were Slave (""Scheherazade"", Michel Fokine’s ballet), Cossack Chief (La Boutique fantasque, 1919), one of the men (Les biches, 1924) etc. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Zverev could not return to Russia. He continued"
"Perrot died on holiday in Paramé 29 August 1892. Jules Perrot Jules-Joseph Perrot (18 August 1810 – 29 August 1892) was a dancer and choreographer who later became Beat Boxer of the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. He created some of the most famous ballets of the 19th century including ""Pas de Quatre"", ""La Esmeralda"", ""Ondine"", and ""Giselle"" with Jean Coralli. The Lyon-born Perrot danced often with Marie Taglioni but their partnership was short-lived. She eventually refused to dance with him fearing that he would outshine her. He left the Opéra in 1835 to tour European dance centers such"
"Nora Kovach Nora Kovach (13 June 1931 – 18 January 2009) was a Hungarian ballerina who defected in 1953 together with her husband and fellow ballet dancer Istvan Rabovsky, the first highly publicized defection of individuals in the field of dance to the West from the Soviet bloc. Kovach was raised in Budapest, and was trained as a dancer at the schools of the Budapest Opera Ballet and of the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad. As the leading dancers of the Budapest State Opera, Kovach and Rabovsky were sent on tour in May 1953 to East Berlin. With the Cold War"
"Paris's 'ballet d'action'. Antoine Pitrot Antoine-Bonaventure Pitrot (31 March 1727 in Marseille – after 1792), known as Pitrot aîné (""Pitrot the elder""), was a French dancer, choreographer and ballet master. He was the elder brother of Jean-Baptiste Pitrot, and their father Barthélemy Pitrot was an actor who criss-crossed the French provinces in the first half of the 18th century. Antoine Pitrot began his career at the Opéra de Paris in 1744 and then as ballet-master at the Théâtre-Italien. He pursued a brilliant career, appearing across Europe and even in Russia, and composed several ballets. He is considered as one of"
"Milorad Mišković Milorad Mišković, also Milorad Miskovitch (, ) (born March 26, 1928 in Valjevo, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, died June 21, 2013 in Nice, France) was a Serbian ballet dancer and choreographer. His emigration to France in 1947 made him a ""persona non grata"" in Yugoslavia, but has also made possible for him to show the world his class, that has later earned him the title of one of the greatest ballet dancers in the world in the 1950s. His greatest successes include the roles of Prometheus, Don Juan, Tristan, Hamlet, and Orestês. He has worked with"
"and ""The Lady and the Hooligan"" (1962). In 1964 he joined the Kirov, where he remained until 1972. There he created roles in Jacobson's ""Land of Miracles"" (1967), Vinogradov's ""Gorianka"" (1968), Sergeyev's ""Hamlet"" (title role, 1970), and Kasatkina's and Vasiliov's ""Creation of the World"" (1971). Panov came to international attention when, in 1972, he and his second wife, Kirov ballerina Galina (née Ragozina), applied for exit visas to Israel. The Panovs were expelled from the Kirov, imprisoned briefly and forbidden from taking class for two years. Artists in the West (including Laurence Olivier) appealed to the authorities on their behalf."
"Alla Sizova Alla Sizova (22 September 1939 – 23 November 2014) was a Russian ballet dancer, best known for her work with the Kirov Ballet. She was one of the four superstar ballerinas of the Soviet Union along with Natalia Makarova, Alla Osipenko and Irina Kolpakova, as well as the preferred dance partner of Rudolph Nureyev before his defection. Alla Ivanovna Sizova was born in Moscow on 22 September 1939. Her parents were Ivan and Ekaterina Sizov. The family moved to Leningrad shortly after her birth. During the Second World War, she was evacuated to the Urals with her mother"
"and two stepchildren. Nora Kovach Nora Kovach (13 June 1931 – 18 January 2009) was a Hungarian ballerina who defected in 1953 together with her husband and fellow ballet dancer Istvan Rabovsky, the first highly publicized defection of individuals in the field of dance to the West from the Soviet bloc. Kovach was raised in Budapest, and was trained as a dancer at the schools of the Budapest Opera Ballet and of the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad. As the leading dancers of the Budapest State Opera, Kovach and Rabovsky were sent on tour in May 1953 to East Berlin. With"
"the post-Diaghilev days. Four years later, in 2009, he was hospitalized after a fall in his home in Tucson. He died in November, at age 92, beloved by former colleagues and students alike. George Zoritch George Zoritch (6 June 1917 – 1 November 2009), was a Russian-born American ballet dancer who starred in performances by Ballet Russe companies on stages all over the United States from the 1930s to the 1960s. Internationally known, he was one of the most glamorous figures and striking personalities in mid-twentieth-century ballet. Born Yuri Zoritch in Moscow during the Russian Revolution in June 1917, he"
"including the ""Golden Nymph"" (1961, Monte Carlo) and ""le diplôme de l'Université de Danse de Paris"" (1961). He created in the Kirov theater a number of other ballets including the ""Bedbug"" (based on the piece by Vladimir Mayakovsky), ""Wonderland"", ""Twelve"" (after the poem by Alexander Blok), but the censors would not let them on stage, since they thought the ballets to be inappropriate for Soviet audience. By that time, Yakobson was officially recognized as a talented choreographer, and his ambition was to become a chief choreographer in a public theater. After an initial failure in Moscow, where apparently Igor Moiseyev"
"at the 'Ecole de Mouvement' she had founded in Kiev following the Russian revolution. He, too, had left Russia. They met again as exiles in Monte Carlo. He became associated with Ballets Russes as a dancer. They were married in 1924. During their four decades together, he often worked in production and management, acting as her business partner in staging her various ballet productions and other projects. In America he also translated for her, especially when she taught at the ballet studio. He died in Los Angeles, California, in 1968, four years before her. Bronislava Nijinska died on February 21,"
"Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( , ; 17 March 1938 – 6 January 1993) was a Soviet ballet and contemporary dancer and choreographer. He was director of the Paris Opera Ballet from 1983 to 1989 and its chief choreographer until October 1992. Named Lord of the Dance, Nureyev is widely regarded as the greatest male ballet dancer of his generation. In addition to his technical prowess, Rudolf Nureyev was an accomplished choreographer. He produced his own interpretations of numerous classical works, including ""Swan Lake"", ""Giselle"", and ""La Bayadère"". Nureyev had his early career with the Mariinsky Ballet in St."
"director Ivan Jovanović made a film about Mišković's 60 years long professional career, entitled ""A Leap into the infinity"". Mišković was married to Nita-Carol Cervin. Milorad Mišković Milorad Mišković, also Milorad Miskovitch (, ) (born March 26, 1928 in Valjevo, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, died June 21, 2013 in Nice, France) was a Serbian ballet dancer and choreographer. His emigration to France in 1947 made him a ""persona non grata"" in Yugoslavia, but has also made possible for him to show the world his class, that has later earned him the title of one of the greatest ballet"
"1924, Balanchine (and his first wife, ballerina Tamara Geva) fled to Paris while on tour of Germany with the Soviet State Dancers. He was invited by Sergei Diaghilev to join the Ballets Russes as a choreographer. Diaghilev invited the collaboration of contemporary fine artists in the design of sets and costumes. These included Alexandre Benois, Léon Bakst, Nicholas Roerich, Georges Braque, Natalia Goncharova, Mikhail Larionov, Pablo Picasso, Coco Chanel, Henri Matisse, André Derain, Joan Miró, Giorgio de Chirico, Salvador Dalí, Ivan Bilibin, Pavel Tchelitchev, Maurice Utrillo, and Georges Rouault. Their designs contributed to the groundbreaking excitement of the company's productions."
"Antoine Pitrot Antoine-Bonaventure Pitrot (31 March 1727 in Marseille – after 1792), known as Pitrot aîné (""Pitrot the elder""), was a French dancer, choreographer and ballet master. He was the elder brother of Jean-Baptiste Pitrot, and their father Barthélemy Pitrot was an actor who criss-crossed the French provinces in the first half of the 18th century. Antoine Pitrot began his career at the Opéra de Paris in 1744 and then as ballet-master at the Théâtre-Italien. He pursued a brilliant career, appearing across Europe and even in Russia, and composed several ballets. He is considered as one of the precursors of"
"transferred to Moscow. He died in 1872. Some sources attribute his death place to Moscow while other sources state that he died in Saint Petersburg. His death was seen in Russia as a tragedy—everybody knew him, he had a great value for the Russian ballet. An historian of Russian ballet wrote (""Our ballet: 1673-1899""): ""The art of Choreography suffered a great loss in the face of the deceased in Moscow as a dance teacher in the school, old man Frederick Malovergne"" (ru: «Хореографическое искусство понесло большую потерю в лице скончавшегося в Москве учителя танцев в школе, старика Фредерика Маловерн»). Pierre"
"from Woodstock, New York, a sister-in-law Madame Baldina, also a ballerina. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Theodore Kosloff was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1617 Vine Street, in Hollywood, California. Theodore Kosloff Theodore Kosloff (; Fyodor Mikhailovich Kozlov; January 22, 1882 – November 22, 1956) was a Russian-born ballet dancer, choreographer, and film and stage actor. He was occasionally credited as Theodor Kosloff. Born in Moscow in 1882, Kosloff began his professional ballet career after training at Moscow's Imperial Theater. After graduating in 1901, he began touring internationally with the Diaghilev"
"about the independence of choreography. Some of views include: He also wrote a biography of Diaghilev titled ""Serge Diaghilev, His Life, His Work, His Legend: An Intimate Biography"" published by Putnam, London, 1940. Serge Lifar Serge Lifar (, ""Serhіy Mуkhailovуch Lуfar""; , ""Sergey Mikhaylovich Lifar"") (, Kiev, Russian Empire15 December 1986, Lausanne, Switzerland) was a French ballet dancer and choreographer of Ukrainian origin, famous as one of the greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century. Not only a dancer, Lifar was also a choreographer, director, writer, theoretician about dance, and collector. As ballet master of the Paris Opera from"
"Theodore Kosloff Theodore Kosloff (; Fyodor Mikhailovich Kozlov; January 22, 1882 – November 22, 1956) was a Russian-born ballet dancer, choreographer, and film and stage actor. He was occasionally credited as Theodor Kosloff. Born in Moscow in 1882, Kosloff began his professional ballet career after training at Moscow's Imperial Theater. After graduating in 1901, he began touring internationally with the Diaghilev Ballet Company which he had joined in 1909. While touring with the company, Kosloff began a romantic relationship with fellow company member, the American future set-designer and Mrs. Rudolph Valentino, Natacha Rambova. The affair however, was brief and allegedly"
"Jules Perrot Jules-Joseph Perrot (18 August 1810 – 29 August 1892) was a dancer and choreographer who later became Beat Boxer of the Imperial Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. He created some of the most famous ballets of the 19th century including ""Pas de Quatre"", ""La Esmeralda"", ""Ondine"", and ""Giselle"" with Jean Coralli. The Lyon-born Perrot danced often with Marie Taglioni but their partnership was short-lived. She eventually refused to dance with him fearing that he would outshine her. He left the Opéra in 1835 to tour European dance centers such as London, Milan, Vienna and Naples, where he met"
"""the most perfect dancer I have ever seen."" On June 29, 1974, while on tour in Canada with the Mariinsky Ballet, Baryshnikov defected, requesting political asylum in Toronto, and joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. He also announced to the dance world that he would not go back to the USSR. He later stated that Christina Berlin, an American friend, helped engineer his defection during his 1970 tour of London. His first televised performance after coming out of temporary seclusion in Canada was with the National Ballet of Canada in ""La Sylphide"". He then went on to the United States. In"
"Sarkis Djanbazian Sarkis Djanbazian (; ), also written as Sarkis Janbazian, (15 January 1913 in Armavir – 11 December 1963 in Tehran) was a Russian-born Iranian-Armenian artist. He was the first male ballet master, dancer, choreographer, producer, as well as the founder of a ballet academy in Iran. Sarkis Djanbazian was born in Armavir, then part of the Russian Empire (now Armenia). As the ""Encyclopedia Iranica"" states, from early childhood, Djanbazian took an avid interest in the arts, especially in dance. After graduating from high school, he went to Leningrad (St. Petersburg at the time) to study dance. He graduated"
"Aleksey Yermolayev Aleksey Nikolayevich Yermolayev (Russian: Алексе́й Никола́евич Ермола́ев; 12 December 1975) was a Soviet ballet dancer, choreographer, and teacher. He played an important role in the development of Russian ballet between 1950 and 1975, and he was considered an outstanding actor. Aleksey Yermolayev was born in Saint Petersburg in 1910 (the name of the city was changed to Petrograd in 1914 and to Leningrad in 1924). At the Leningrad Choreographic School he completed the required eight years of training in only five years, graduating in 1926, aged only 16; his teacher there was Vladimir Ponomaryov. He sent four years"